Hanger for coats and the like



Nov. 11, 1969 K. A. MILETTE ET AL HANGER FOR COATS AND THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed 001;. 26, 1967 INVENTOR KENNETH 14. M/ LETTE BY CLAIR A. .S'AMHAMMER yak/ L "Y L m I A TTOR/VE Y8 Nov. 11, 1969 K. A. MILETTE ET AL 3,477,623

HANGER FOR COATS AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 26, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. KENNETH A. M/LETTE GLA/f? A .SAMHAMMEI? WWI-WY guy- A TTOR/VEYS' United States Patent 0 3,477,623 HANGER FOR COATS AND THE LIKE Kenneth A. Milette, Pasadena, and Clair A. Samhammer, Orange, Calif., assignors to Samsonite Corporation, Denver, Colo., a corporation of Colorado Filed Oct. 26, 1967, Ser. No. 678,249 Int. Cl. A47j 51/097 U.S. Cl. 223-88 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hanger for coats and the like is molded of polypropylene or other plastic having resistance to stress reversal and includes a top hook, a pair of diverging arms, a pair of rounded corners at the lower end of each arm and a lower bar extending between the corners. An integral plastic hinge at the upper end of each arm and slanting outwardly at a lesser angle than the respective arm, as well as an integral, transverse plastic hinge between the lower, inner end of each corner and the lower bar, permit the corners to twist, when the weight of a coat is placed on the hanger and thereby provide a greater surface area for supporting the shoulder area of the coat. A rearwardly extending apron below the hook and between the upper hinges provides greater support for. the neck area of the coat, when the arms are twisted forwardly, while the arms and corners are reinforced by an outer rib and the lower bar may be channel-shaped in cross section.

This invention relates to hangers for coats and the like.

The conventional coat hanger having downwardly diverging, wooden arms and a wood rod between the lower ends of the arms, as well as a hook formed of wire and extending unwardly from the intersection of the upper ends of the arms, is quite well known. Also, a coat hanger formed from a single piece of wire, with the hook being formed from one end of the piece of wire and the opposite end twisted around the lower portion of the hook, is also well known. Hangers formed of molded plastic, particularly those in which the arms and lower bar are coplanar and flat, with the hook being either a separate metal attachment pivoted to the center connection of the arms or a molded plastic hook integral with the arms, are also well known. Each of these hangers suffers from the disadvantage that, when a coat is placed thereon, neither the neck area nor the shoulders of the coat are adequately supported, because of the narrowness of both the wooden and the wire arms, so that wrinkles and creases produced in the coat normally require pressing to eliminate them. There are types of coat hangers, especially formed of wood or metal, in which the lower ends of the arms are thickened and rounded, so as to have a lateral dimension of up to two inches and thereby adequately support the shoulders of the coat. Also, the arms of such hangers may be bowed, so as to be convex at the rear, so that the neck area of the coat will be subjected to a lesser amount of wrinkling or creasing. However, such hangers are cumbersome, do not stack when not in use so as to occupy a small amount of space, and are several times as expensive as more conventional wooden hangers, wire hangers or molded plastic hangers.

Among the objects of this invention are to provide a novel hanger for coats and the like; to provide such a hanger which will, during use, provide more adequate support for the shoulders of a coat or the like; to provlde such a hanger which, during use, will form a convex surface at the rear to provide more adequate support for the neck area of the cast; to provide such a hanger which, when not in use, occupies a minimum of space; to provide such a hanger which may be readily stacked with 3,477,623. Patented Nov. 11, 1969 other hangers of the same construction; to provide such a hanger which may be formed integrally, as by molding of a resilient material, such as plastic; to provide such a hanger which may be economically produced; to provide such a hanger which will readily accommodate a mans suit, such as the coat and pants, or a ladys suit, such as the coat and skirt; and to provide such a hanger which is durable and effective in use.

Additional objects and the novel features of this invention will become apparent from the description which follows, taken in conjuction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a coat hanger constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the hanger of FIG. 1, but in bowed position, such as assumed when a coat is hung thereon;

FIG. 4 is a central vertical section through the hook and an associated upper portion of the hanger, taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an end elevation of the hanger of FIG, 1;

FIG. 6 is an end elevation of the hanger but in bowed position, as in FIG. '3;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary rear elevation of the hook and an associated upper portion of the hanger;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary, oblique section, on an enlarged scale and taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 1, showing particularly one of a pair of upper, integral, oblique hinges on opposite sides of the hook;

FIG. 9 is an angular, oblique section taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 1 and spaced from FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary horizontal section, on an enlarged scale, taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 1 along a lower'bar, showing particularly one of a pair of lower integral hinges located at opposite ends of the bar;

FIG. 11 is a vertical section, on an enlarged scale, taken along line 1111 of FIG. 1 transverse to FIG. 10 and through one of the integral hinges;

FIG. 12 is a transverse section, on an enlarged scale, taken along line 1212 of FIG. 1, through an inclined arm;

FIG. 13 is a transverse section, on an enlarged scale, taken along line 1313 of FIG. 1, through the lower bar adjacent to the center thereof; and

FIG. 14 is a transverse section, on an enlarged scale, taken along line 1414 of FIG. 1, through the lower bar but adjacent one of the integral hinges,

A hanger for coats and the like constructed in accordance with this invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-5, includes a hook H connected to a hook connector K, a pair of arms A which are connected with the hook connector K by a pair of upper hinge means U at each side of the hook connector, a lower bar B, on which one or more pairs of pants or one or more skirts may he hung, and rounded corners C connecting the lower end of the respective arm A with a lower hinge means L at each end of the lower bar B. Each upper hinge means U diverges laterally and outwardly but preferably at a lesser angle to the vertical centerline of the hanger than the arms A, while each lower hinge means L is preferably transverse to the lower bar B. The effect of the upper and lower hinge means, at each side, is to permit the arms A to shift forwardly, the lower bar B to shift rearwardly and the corners C to twist, as in FIGS. 3 and 6, so that the corners C provide a greater lateral area for supporting the shoulders of a coat. The respective hinge means are preferably such that the weight of a coat, when on the hanger, will cause the arms: A and corners C to be twisted, so that the twisted corners will support the shoulders of the coat much more adequately, thereby decreasing the possibility of wrinkling or creasing of the shoulders, as well as the sleeves, while the coat is suspended from the hanger. In addition, the forward shift of the lower end of each arm A will also cause the hook connector K to shift rearwardly with respect to the corner C, as in FIG. 6, thereby engaging the rear inside of the coat, adjacent the neck, and decreasing the possibility of the area of the coat around the neck becoming wrinkled or creased, while suspended from the hangers. The hanger for coats and the like of this invention is also adapted to be used in luggage cases, since the hanger hooks are normally placed on a trolley adjacent one end of a section of the luggage case, with the lower end of the coat folded around a link supported rod or bar.

The hanger of this invention may be molded as a single, integral piece from a suitable plastic or the like. such as a medium density polypropylene. The preferred properties of the plastic are that it be sufficiently resilient to permit twisting of the corners during use, as described above, but sufliciently resistant to stress to withstand the loads thereon and also be resistant to shear stresses. Another desired property is that of being resistant to repetitive stress reversals, such as imposed on the integral hinges of the hinge means U and L. It will be understood, of course, that the hanger may be molded of different types of plastic, each forming a portion thereof, with the hinge means U and L having the properties desirable for a hinge. Also, the hinge means U and L may be formed as more conventional types of hinges, embedded in the material of the hanger.

The hook H, as in FIGS. 1, 4 and 7, is preferably sturdily constructed, such as having a pair of diverging flanges 20 and 21 reinforced by a closed end 22 and ribs 23. The lower ends of flanges 20 and 21 of hook H merge to form the upper wall 24 of a rearwardly facing well 25 of connector K, the front wall 26 of which extends laterally to outwardly and downwardly extending sides 27 of the well, which may also be transversely inclined in a manner corresponding to hook flanges 20 and 21. The lower edge or base 28 of well 25 is slightly inclined downwardly to merge with an apron 30 which is preferably convex on the rear side, as well as extending downwardly and slightly rearwardly from the rear edge of the well base 28, for better engagement with the inside of the neck area of a coat hung on the hanger.

Each arm A may be angular in section, both for additional strength and to provide a greater area of support for the coat placed on the hanger, thus including an upright web 31 and a forwardly extending top flange 32, as in FIG. 12. Each upper hinge means U, as in FIGS. 8 and 9 may comprise a thin hinge section 34 connecting the side 27 of well 25, or apron 30, with flange 32 or web 31 of arm A, respectively, as in FIGS. 8 and 9. Hinge section 34 may be formed by a deeper notch 35 on the front side and a shallower groove 29 on the rear side. It will be noted that the normal bending of the hinge section 34 is in a direction in which the sides of the deeper notch 35 comes closer together or collapse against each other. Each end 37 of the hinge section, as in FIG. 11, may be thickened to minimize the possibility of a fatigue crack starting at the end, thus increasing the resistance of the hinge to fatigue stress.

Each corner C may include a web 40 and an outer flange or rim 41, each formed as a continuation of the web 31 and flange 32, respectively, of the adjacent arm A. It will be observed that the rim 41 of each corner C extends around an arc of greater than 90 but less than 180", such as approximately 150", as shown for illustrative purposes only. The rim 41 also narrows downwardly, to correspond to an oblique web portion 42, as in FIGS. and 6.

The lower bar B, which is also utilized for hanging or supporting pants, skirts and the like, may be generally channel shaped in form, for added strength and rigidity, thus having a web 45, an upper flange 46 and a lower flange 47. The upper flange 46, as in FIGS. 2 and 3-, has a width corresponding to that shown in FIG. 13, for a greater portion of its length, but starts tapering at a position spaced therefrom, as in FIG. 14, at which the width of the upper flange 46 then has approximately the same width as the lower flange 47, with lower flange 47 then tapering and upper flange 46 continuing to taper to the lower hinge means L, as in FIG. 10. Along the corner between web and upper flange 46, the bar B may be provided with one or more longitudinally extending ribs 48, separated by grooves 49, to engage a pair of pants or a skirt placed thereon, to minimize slippage of the same. It will be noted that, when the arms and corners twist forwardly, as in FIGS. 3 and 6, the lower bar B will also twist forwardly, with front edge of upper flange 46 of bar B tipping downwardly, so that ribs 48 will then be on the uppermost portion of bar B, thereby more securely engaging the pants, skirt, or the like hung thereon.

Lower hinge means L, as shown in FIG. 10, may consist of a thin hinge section 50 formed between a deeper notch 51 and an opposite shallow groove 52, with a thicker section 53 at each end of thin section 50, as in FIG. 1, and similar to the thicker section 37 of l 1inge section 34 of FIG. 11. As observed previously, the hinge will normally bend in the direction to close the deeper notch 51, which is thus placed on the front side of the webs 45 and 42.

From the foregoing, it will be evident that a hanger for coats and the like constructed in accordance with this invention fulfills to a marked degree the requirements and objects hereinbefore set forth. The hanger may be readily molded of a suitable plastic, such as a medium density polypropylene, while the outwardly slanting top hinges and the generally ventieal lower hinges cooperate to permit the rounded corners to twist to an oblique position, thereby providing wider supporting areas for the coat shoulders. Also, the rearward extension of the apron will assist in maintaining the neck area of the coat in a rounded condition. As will be evident, the hangers may be interfitting and stacked in flat condition, thus reducing shipping and handling costs. As will also be evident, other materials may be utilized and the hinges may be provided in any suitable conventional manner.

Although a preferred form of the invention has been described and illustrated, it will beunderstood that other forms may exist and that numerous changes and variations may be made.

What is claimed is:

1. A hanger for coats and the like comprising:

a top hook;

a pair of arms diversing laterally and downwardly at each side from said hook;

first hinge means at each side of said hook and diverging laterally and downwardly; a transverse bar speced below said hook and arms; a rounded corner connecting the lower ends of each said arm with the respective ends of said bar; and

second hinge means between each said corner and said bar, whereby the load of a coat or the like on said hanger causes each said arm and the corresponding corner to twist between said first hinge means and said second hinge means and cause one side of said rounded corner to face generally upwardly and provide a greater support area for the shoulder of said coat or the like.

2. A hanger as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said hanger is molded of plastic.

3. A hanger as defined in claim 2, wherein:

each said hingemeans is formed of a thin section of plastic.

4. A hanger as defined in claim 3, including:

a thicker section at each end of said thin section.

5. A hanger as defined in claim 3, wherein each said thin section is formed by:

a groove on one side of said section; and

a shallower groove on the opposite side of said section.

6. A hanger as defined in claim 1, wherein:

each said upper hinge means connects the adjacent arm below said hook and a rearwardly inclined apron is connected by each said upper hinge means with the adjacent arm.

7. A hanger as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said corners each include a normally upright web formed as a continuation of the web of the adjacent arm and an, arcuate flange extending forwardly from the edge of said corner web and from the top around to the bottom of said corner web.

8. A hanger as defined in claim 7, wherein:

said corner web includes a lower portion adjacent said lower hinge means disposed at an obtuse angle to the upper portion of said corner web.

9. A hanger as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said lower bar has a normally upright web and upper and lower flanges extending forwardly from the upper and lower edges of said bar web.

10. A hanger as defined in claim 9, wherein:

said flanges of said bar narrow adjacent each end and taper to said lower hinge means.

11. A hanger as defined in claim 10, wherein:

said lower bar is provided with a series of longitudinally extending ribs and disposed at the juncture of said bar web and bar upper flange on the outer side of said bar.

12. A hanger as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said hanger is molded of plastic and each said hinge means comprises a thin section of plastic, each said upper hinge means diverging downwardly and outwardly at a lesser angle to the vertical centerline of said hanger than said arms;

said arms include a normally upright web and an upper flange extending forwardly from said web;

said corners each include a normally upright web formed as a continuation of the web of the adjacent arm and an arcuate flange extending forwardly from the edge of said corner web and from the top around to the bottom of said corner web, the lower portion of each said corner web forming an obtuse angle with the upper portion of said corner web;

a rearwardly open well having top, bottom, and side walls is disposed below said hook and the top wall thereof is connected to said hook, said sidewalls of said well being connected by said upper hinge means at each side of the web of the adjacent arm, and a rearwardly inclined apron below said well is connected by each said upper hinge means with the adjacent arm;

said lower bar has a normally upright web and upper and lower flanges extending forwardly from the upper and lower edges of said bar web; and

said lower bar is provided with a series of longitudinally extending ribs and disposed adjacent the upper edge of said bar web.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,682,626 8/1928 Peckham 223-89 2,164,208 '6/1939 Guyer 223-89 3,040,941 6/1962 Vargo i 223-89 3,115,995 12/1963 McLean 223-91 3,289,901 12/1966 Zwanzig 223-88 3,401,855 9/1968 Balzer et al. 223-94 5 MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner G. H. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner 

